On a day when the JD(U) severed its ties with the NDA, the BJP-led coalition's key partner Shiromani Akali Dal's patron Parkash Singh Badal today said his party was "solidly" behind the BJP and did not believe in “interfering” in their internal matters.
The five-time Chief Minister asserted, “Akalis were with BJP solidly and will continue to be so.” Badal claimed all will shake hands with BJP after the general election. “Though every party, including the JD(U), has its own interest uppermost in its mind, yet all will shake hands with BJP after the general election,” he told reporters at Khatti village here.
“The real combinations will emerge after the Lok Sabha poll," the 85-year-old Akali veteran said. His reply came when reporters asked to comment on the JD(U)-BJP rift, besides its implications on the NDA prospects.
The veteran Akali politician claimed the BJP will emerge as the single largest party after the next Lok Sabha elections as “voters will reject the Congress”. "Voters will prefer throwing their votes in 'khuh' (well) rather than voting for the Congress,” he said. He also did not see much possibility of emergence of a Third Front.
On whether he had approached the JD(U) or other BJP allies in the wake of recent developments within the NDA, he said, “Although I want that all the NDA partners should go along cordially, I haven't approached any ally..."
When asked that clouds of “disintegration” of the NDA had started looming large after the BJP anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party's election campaign chief, Badal said "the SAD was with the BJP solidly and will continue to be so". He said that neither the BJP nor the SAD has ever interfered in each other's internal matters, which has further cemented the alliance between the two.
To another query, Badal said building a memorial for terrorism victims could disturb the state’s hard-earned peace. He was reacting to a demand by the Congress for having a memorial for those killed in Punjab during the dark days of terrorism.
On regional parties being brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act, he said he was not against the idea “but the process will complicate the situation”.
Badal refused to agree with the Congress’ contention that panchayat elections would disturb the schedule of the farmers during the paddy season. He also said neither he nor his deputy Sukhbir Badal will intervene in the elections.
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